Turning 18 and you (An angsty Australian kids question for you)

[Offworlder_v1legacy]

So I turned 18 today, which is like the 'manhood starting' age here (21 in 'merica) and everyone is making a big deal about it. Now don't get me wrong, I love being able to buy my own alcohol and go to clubs and such, but is it really that big a deal? I mean, are there any major maturity events that happen in my body around this time? Am I being a little *****? Thoughts?

Also, what was your just turned 18/21 experience like? Was it bitchen?

 

[Vault101]

Snip?

eh?

unless your absolutly dying to get yourself some booze or go to a club...then no, its really not a big deal

now..when you get some money..and independance..THATS when the fun starts (the money thing mostly)

 

[Mayhaps]

It changed absolutely nothing in my day to day life.

 

[Biosophilogical]

So I turned 18 today, which is like the 'manhood starting' age here (21 in 'merica) and everyone is making a big deal about it. Now don't get me wrong, I love being able to buy my own alcohol and go to clubs and such, but is it really that big a deal? I mean, are there any major maturity events that happen in my body around this time? Am I being a little *****? Thoughts?

Also, what was your just turned 18/21 experience like? Was it bitchen?

Hahaha, try being an 18 year old Australian who doesn't drink and hates clubs. It is even less eventful. (BTW, you can vote now, so hurry up and register slacker!!!)

 

[Rainmaker77]

Hahaha, try being an 18 year old Australian who doesn't drink and hates clubs. It is even less eventful. (BTW, you can vote now, so hurry up and register slacker!!!)

Exactly, apart from being able to vote a few months after my 18th birthday absolutely nothing changed for me.

 

[smithy_2045]

You now have the freedom to drink, smoke, vote, go to clubs/pubs/casinos, get your license, and probably a whole heap of other stuff that I'm forgetting. You don't have to take advantage of any of them (except voting) and there's nothing particularly physical that happens. You just have the freedom to do it all legally!

 

[Dr.Susse]

Yep you're free now.

Any feelings about the age goes away until you hit 21 where some people treat it like a milestone. (This is speaking about Australia)

 

[Keoul]

You'll probably get the same feeling as when you turned 13 and could could legally make an account for online games without parental permission

 

[Dr Bodom]

Only reason I can't wait to be 18 for is the ability to drive alone without my dad commenting on my cornering skills. So yeah, P plates are the only real difference I can foresee in my life.

 

[Vault101]

So I turned 18 today, which is like the 'manhood starting' age here (21 in 'merica) and everyone is making a big deal about it. Now don't get me wrong, I love being able to buy my own alcohol and go to clubs and such, but is it really that big a deal? I mean, are there any major maturity events that happen in my body around this time? Am I being a little *****? Thoughts?

Also, what was your just turned 18/21 experience like? Was it bitchen?

Hahaha, try being an 18 year old Australian who doesn't drink and hates clubs. It is even less eventful. (BTW, you can vote now, so hurry up and register slacker!!!)

shit

I dont think Ive registered..

anyway..as I said adulthood dosnt really depend on some abitraiy age...but more money and independance

you can be 20, but still living with your parents..broke, unemployed and having them breathing down your neck about everything.....thats not being an adult

 

[Esotera]

Turning into an adult is a really gradual process that I don't think anyone fully completes, or at least that's how I see it so far. It seems like less of a deal to me now being able to buy alcohol & go out drinking, but I'd be pretty annoyed if I went to somewhere like America and couldn't buy a drink. So I suppose it's fairly important to me.

 

[Dandark]

I turned 18 in Britain over here and nothing changed. It's not really a big deal unless you make it one, you can drink now. I think that's about it.

 

[Gerishnakov]

I'm from the UK, and when I turned 18 (drinking and voting age) nothing changed for me. I'd already been drinking since I was 13, and it was a year until the next elections. I just went to uni slightly later that year and that was it.

Captcha: 'tighty whitey'. I definitely did not start wearing those when I turned 18.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Like I tell everyone, "now you have to be responsible".

Unfortunately, you don't wake up one day and DING! you're an adult (or at least it hasn't happened to me yet).

On the other hand, it gets a bit too late to make excuses for doing something stupid.

 

[Rastien]

I thought 18 was a big deal, it wasn't i thought 21 would be a big deal it wasn't being 23 now i have come to realise its just another day you dont have some miraculous change. Just the way it is

 

[Goofguy]

It was pretty meh, the legal age is 19 in my province and I was already toning it down by then, my party days peaked at 17.

Oh B.C., why don't you trust your 18 year olds?

I had moved out of my parents' place shortly after turning 17 so I was already kind of living as an adult by the time I turned 18. Did it change much for me? Not really, it just gave me more rights (and more responsibilities) I guess.

 

[Floggo]

No, I have a fuckload of cash saved up for my PC, then It slowly went into beers. I fucking hate being 18.

 

[Eamar]

It's similar in the UK- at 18 you're legally an adult. However, if you're still in school doing A Levels when you turn 18 it makes no difference apart from the alcohol thing, since you're still in school, living with your parents etc. If you're not still at school, you will have left at 16 so (again apart from alcohol/clubbing) it's not going to make a huge amount of difference either.

When you leave home is a much bigger deal and more of a true "coming of age" thing.

As for my own experience, my birthday's in October so I turned 18 right at the beginning of my final year of school. I went to the pub, some people bought me drinks (not really a big deal since being underage really doesn't stop people consuming alcohol) which was nice of them. And then yeah, I got on with school, exams and all that jazz, same as before. Voted in the general election a few months later. In terms of everyday life I guess it was kind of cool that my parents didn't have to sign permission slips for stuff any more, but that was about it.

EDIT: if you're working you're entitled to a higher minimum wage in the UK too, so I guess that's the main benefit of it.